Descriptions

The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to enhance the
redesign of a safety system. To identify the limitations of the current safety system, the
concepts of congruency and integration of the safety function within a specific university
environment were examined through a case study methodology. An emphasis was placed
on the use of models from business and management literature for both the examination of
the concepts and the subsequent development of the conceptual framework for the
redesign. The researcher emphasized the use of multiple data sources in this study. These
sources included: observations, documents, and interviews. A model from French and Bell
(1990) was used to examine congruency which included interviewing two stakeholders
associated with executive driven planned organizational change processes as well as the
safety manager. A perception survey, as suggested by Petersen (1994), was developed and
used as part of the examination of safety system integration and administered to twenty
interviewees along with the safety manager.
The findings provided evidence of gaps which may be hindering the success of the
safety function within the organization. By examining organizational direction and
comparing those findings to the findings representing the direction of the safety function,
gaps in congruency were found. Integration gaps were discovered, in part, through
examination of the safety process input, as described by the safety manager, as well as the
safety process output as viewed by "customers" of the safety process. Countermeasures to
close gaps were discovered in the research and later synthesized into a redesigned
conceptual framework. The framework emphasized customer service, a systems approach,
and a process perspective as an alternative to the legacy of a traditional, compliance driven
safety system found to be in current use.